This invention relates to control of weight loss in humans, and more particularly, to a process wherein weight loss is achieved from selected portions of the body by reduction of regional fat deposits.
When an overweight person reduces body weight through a weight control program, it is often observed that the excess body fat is removed more rapidly from some parts of the body than from other parts. For example, weight loss tends to be more rapid from the abdomen than from the thighs. For a person who loses only a relatively small amount of weight, such differential weight loss during the reduction program is not noticeable. However, overweight persons who must lose larger amounts of weight may be distressed by the failure to achieve normal bodily proportions during the weight control program. Most of the weight loss may come from the abdomen and chest, while the thighs remain excessively overweight. This result is undesirable aesthetically and psychologically, in that the body neither attains proper proportions nor is perceived to approach proper proportions. Additionally, the fatty deposits of the thighs which remain may have a rumpled or "peau-de-orange" appearance, popularly termed "cellulite, " which is unattractive and may be particularly distressing. Thus, there exists a significant problem arising in weight control programs as a result of the differential reduction in body fat deposits.
Two approaches have generally been taken to alleviate the problem created by the differential weight loss in weight control programs. In one, the weight loss program is carried to extremes so that the person loses a greater amount of weight than is medically desirable, and eventually weight is lost from all portions of the body. Such excessive weight loss may result in poor health, and still not obtain a desirable physical appearance. In a second commonly used method, the person undergoing weight loss seeks to selectively eliminate remaining fat deposits through an exercise or physical motion program. For example, the thighs may be massaged or vibrated in an attempt to eliminate the fatty deposits thereon. However, such physical weight loss programs are not feasible for all persons and are of questionable effectiveness.
Accordingly, there has been a continuing need for a reliable, effective treatment for accomplishing the selective reduction of regional body fat deposits during a weight control program by accelerating weight loss in areas such as the thighs which normally reduce less rapidly than the abdomen. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.